‘Star Wars’ Production Designer Confirms Shelved Spin-Off Film Would Feature Tatooine

We’ve been trying to figure out what’s exactly going on behind the scenes at Lucasfilm for a while now, especially after the box office disappointment known as “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” As we approached the release of ‘Solo,’ reports surfaced about James Mangold helming a “Boba Fett” spin-off and Stephen Daldry directing his own spin-off, focusing on Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. There were even rumors about a Mos Eisley Cantina crime film and perhaps a Jabba the Hutt story. All told, there were numerous rumors, but no confirmation.

READ MORE: Lucasfilm Reportedly Putting ‘Star Wars Story’ Spin-Off Films On Hold

Of course, now with ‘Solo’ underperforming, it looks like Lucasfilm is moving away from the spin-off film idea and focusing on what will be the studios next “Saga.” But, in a new interview with CinemaBlend, studio production designer Neil Lamont opens up about a “Star Wars” project that we never got confirmation about, but was canceled, and at least part of it took place in a very familiar location.

He said:

“We were just starting our work on another ‘Star Wars’ spin-off and yeah. We were actually just making our mark on Tatooine — which would have been interesting and some other new galaxies. So hopefully, if that comes back, we’ll get the chance to be able to do that further.”

Now, you don’t have to be a huge “Star Wars” fan to have heard of Tatooine. The desert planet has been deeply tied to lore and been featured in multiple films. However, knowing one of the locations doesn’t actually prove anything as far as which movie was being developed. Obviously, the first thought is the “Obi-Wan” film, considering the film seemed the furthest along in development and clearly judging by the timeline, would have had a bulk of the shooting on Tatooine. That doesn’t mean “Obi-Wan” is the only contender, either.

“Boba Fett” could have easily had a Tatooine moment in the film, considering that character’s relationship to the planet. And let’s not forget the largely speculative, but reported nevertheless, film about the Mos Eisley Cantina, which would obviously take place on the aforementioned planet.

As we discuss Tatooine’s place in “Star Wars” mythology, it becomes readily apparent that the planet was probably used a bit too much previously. Perhaps, it’s a blessing in disguise that whatever film this was is now no more. Do we really need more Tatooine in our future?